October Club Runs

A choice of two rides for October - why not come along to both?

Trevor is planning to do a ride on October 13th from Framlingham, Elms Car Park at 10:00am.  The plan is to plod about for a bit and pop into the Farm Cafe at Marlesford.  There’ll be another stop for lunch - yet to be determined

The CTC 25 mile Off Road ride is on the 20th October at Bromeswell, start time 09:00 to 09:30.  Meet at the rugby club car park at Bromeswell.

BC/RTTC British Champs 14^th Sept

I would like to thank John Chalker, Jon Smith, Richard Tateson, Steve Jones and Paul Willsher for their invaluable help on the day.  Special thanks to Rob Cotton who did numerous jobs on the day and probably ruined any chances he had of doing a ride the next day.  Rob also helped out before the event with the programmes and putting up signs.  Also thanks to Viv for arranging the caterers, I didn't actually get chance to eat or drink anything much but they seemed to be doing brisk business.

Trevor

Michael Hutchinson - the winner

Trevor's nervous breakdown was close to completion, but the day finally dawned.  I got to Stradbroke reasonably early in the morning and wandered into the HQ.  I was due to ride in the afternoon, but that was hours away, so I found Trevor to get a job for the morning session. First crisis - the marker pens didn't work, meaning no results board, so a quick tour of the Stradbroke shops was in order.  Sorted.  On my way back, Trevor gave me my next assignment - to find someone else and help out with the drugs!!  And I wasn't even wearing a Festina top!  Hence Chalky and I found ourselves "doing drugs", although our attempts at jokes about rolling up a sleeve to get at a vein were, needless to say, met with a stony face.  Ooops.  Apparently "acting on behalf of the anti-doping officials" is the preferred phrase of the powers that be.

John and I were given a small list of rider numbers, some based on expected performance and some just at random, and left to set our ambush for the marked riders.  As instructed, we were about 100 yards past the finish line, and as soon as the riders had finished, we pounced - making them stop and sign a form.  Cruel, really, some of them could hardly breathe or stand up at the time, let alone read and sign a form.  Once the form was signed, the rider had 30 mins to report to the officials back at the HQ.

In the afternoon, it was my turn to ride.  As I was getting ready, I did wonder whether my number was "on the list", or whether Chalky would jump out in front of me anyway, but once at the start, I had other things on my mind.  The course was surprisingly hard - through the bendy bits the wind was behind, but the sharp corners meant it was hard to get into a rhythm, then up the hill and for most of the way back to Stradbroke, the wind was in my face.

I crossed the finish line at the end of the first lap at about 26:30 according to the timing device there, but seemed to run out of steam a bit on the second lap - my lungs were OK, but my legs were screaming in protest, particularly after going up the hill for the second time.  When all the results were in, I had finished 9th in my age group - and if you want to call it last, you can.

Steve

Results

Eastway Autumn Rumble, Aug 31

I took a break from the Ciclos Uno series to take part in this, the third of the larger "meets" organised by the Eastway Supporters League (ESL), and lined up in the 4th cat race with about 45 other riders, all hoping to grab some of those elusive BCF points.

The race started fairly calmly, with the few attempts to break quickly reeled back in. Meanwhile I was hiding in the bunch, saving myself for later.  In the second half of the race, just after a solo break had been brought back, two riders got away and, despite the efforts of the Bikepark team, maintained their advantage for a couple of laps.  Deciding that this move might "go the distance", I made a big effort and managed to bridge across to them.  Unfortunately my move inspired a few others to copy and after another couple of laps, we were all back in the main group.

Eventually the bell sounded for the last lap and, along with everyone else, I tried to move up through the bunch to get a half-decent starting position for the sprint.  I managed to get up a few places, but not enough really, even going outside the "traffic jam" on the inside of the last corner didn't get me into contention.  I sprinted anyway and gained another few places, to finish about 20th.

It was nice to see my progression from the earlier Rumble meet in the spring, when I finished 2 laps down, to this, where I did something in the race, and still thought I had a chance in the finale.  Maybe next year, I'll get that point!

Steve.

Eastway - Sun 18th Aug

Once again, the Ciclos Uno Summer Series beckoned - this time Matt and Steve were joined by Jim (making his debut) and Gary.  Also present was Adrian, from IBC, and quite a few others!

While Adrian went forward to play with the "big boys", our foursome were content to start with the other novices.  It had been hot all week, but an overcast start to the day meant that it was merely nice and warm, not too hot.

Jim had bad luck from the start, with a wheel feeling like it had punctured.  He stopped to check it - no, it was fine, carry on.  But the bunch were already 30 seconds or so up the road, and despite Jim's efforts to time-trial back to the bunch, he couldn't regain contact.

Gary was prominent at or near the front of the group in the first couple of laps, then as he came back to mid-bunch for a breather, Steve moved up to take his place.  He followed a couple of guys who tried to get away, then looked round to find that only half the novices were still around - he was in the break!  Of those who'd made it, Steve, a Ciclos Uno vet and a couple of others were working ("coached" by the vet) - the other two were passengers.  As they circulated, they picked up a couple of stragglers from the 4th bunch, taking their number to 8.

Meanwhile Matt and Gary were controlling the remains of the novice bunch and marking anyone who tried to get across to the break.  As the hooter for the first prime sounded, Steve and the vet got a small gap on the rest coming out of the hairpin.  As Steve moved up to suggest working together against the rest, vet said "go for it, I'll not race you".  Not needing to be asked twice, Steve put his head down and went for it (from about 3/4 mile out!).  On the back straight, he looked back and saw he had a good gap, then up the last hill and he was able to cruise to the line and take the flag!

(Later, we realised that the vet in question was none other than Trevor Maddern, the owner of Ciclos Uno and the organiser of these events!)

A couple of laps later, the 4th bunch came hurtling through. Matt, Gary and Steve all managed to jump in, with varying degrees of success and for differing amounts of time!

After getting dropped by the bunch, Matt and Gary joined forces again and got another small group going. Jim also got into a small group, but was unable to organise it - no-one else wanted to ride.  In the end, when he upped the pace, no-one would (or could?) go with him.

Soon the remains of the bunch came round again, shortly followed by the bell, the final lap and then it was all over.  A gentle warm-down lap, then tired bodies were eased off the bikes, water bottles emptied over heads to try and cool down, war stories exchanged, and it was time to put the bikes back in the cars and start the long trip home... Until next time.

Steve

7^th September

Rob C rode to 11th in the Colchester Rovers E10/7D with a time of 23-01.  The winner was a commonwealth medallist Tony Gibb with a time of 19-58.

GHS 10 mile National Championship

Having taken it easy for a couple of weeks following her busy August schedule of training camps and racing Becky Figgitt lined up at Glenneath near Swansea having qualified for the final through the East DC heat back in June. The weather was a bit changeable with heavy rainstorms traveling up the valley from Swansea on a strong South Westerly wind which promised to make it tough on the outward leg. The course started on the edge of Glenneath Town and climbed up on to the main dual carriageway which goes from Merthyr Tydfil to Swansea.  I am not certain that this course on a Saturday afternoon was the best place to be running an event for riders aged from 12 to 17, and many of the younger riders were absent from the start line, which may back up my observation. The rain eased an Becky was off at No 9, hoping to do " a ride" which in numerical terms meant a "28" but in other terms meant not to look too daft in front of all those gorgeous teenage boys....... A ride she certainly did. Shortly after the start it was obvious that tucked down on the tri bars with a tri spoke rear and Chalky's Shimano front wheel she was looking good and cutting into the wind far quicker than the next rider on the road who had started 3 minutes ahead. 

Harry and I jumped on the tandem and traveled to wait for her just before the finish.  It didn't seem long before she came into view. Becky had passed No 6 for 3 minutes and was flying to the finish, was my watch lying, it looked like a "27" or at least a very short "28".  Back at the HQ it was confirmed Becky had improved her "10" time from 29:13 to a brilliant 27:36.  As the other results rolled in it emerged that she had only missed winning a medal for best Under 15 girl by 34seconds.  Never mind it was worth the journey, and to top it all 1st and 2nd place went to two of the lads on Becky's Talent Team so there were lots of big smiles all round. 

21^st September

This was the last of the ERMA Summer Series mountain bike races, this time at Shrublands.  Rob R started fast and faded, finishing approx 12^th place in the Sport race.  Mark rode a steady race, finishing in 5^th place in the Vets (probably - the results are not yet on the web site).

22^nd September

Steve, Gary, Jim and I (heartily supported by Jim's family) turned out for the penultimate event of the season. One hour plus 5 laps of the twisty, undulating 1 mile circuit. The time doesn't drag I can tell you!

It was my first experience of racing (instead of TTing) and I enjoyed it even more than I had hoped!  It's a great format - the circuit is interesting and very good surface, no cars to worry about, and most important you can stay in even when lapped.  This last point means you can have some fun, and do some 'attacking' without having to worry that you'll blow and your race is over.  If you're knackered you can sit up and wait for the bunch to catch you again. 

The Plomesgaters all started in the novice bunch, with about 4 other guys.  The (much larger) chasing bunch of 4th cat riders started almost a lap behind.  We novices rode fairly steadily for a lap or so and then first me, then Steve and Gary pushed the pace a bit.  When I pushed again I found myself with a bit of a gap, and it eventually led to me riding off on my own for the next 4 laps (all the way to the first prime) while Plomesgaters in the novice bunch frustrated efforts to chase.  This wasn't quite what I had planned - I was already working a bit harder than intended.  Behind, with the prime safe, Steve was able to lead out Gary, who finished off the bunch sprint in style, taking the line half a wheel ahead of his nearest rival.  In due course I was caught by the 3-man breakaway leading the main bunch and I rode with them for a couple of laps before I had to bid them a fond adieu. 

A chasing 2 man break came past me as well, and then an eerie calm settled while I rode around a few laps on my own again.  I had just caught up with Gary and Jim, both taking it easy waiting for the pack, when the main bunch finally appeared and engulfed us.  After that I completely lost track of who was where, and just had a bit of fun twiddling around near the front of the bunch.  It's _so_ much easier riding in the pack than grinding on your own, so I soon recovered energy for a few turns on the front.  Pretty soon it was all over with Jim getting the better of Gary and Steve in their own 3-up sprint for the line, and we could exchange stories back at the clubhouse.  I'll definitely be aiming to do more of this next season, and I recommend it to everyone.  Thanks to Steve for encouraging me to give it a try.

Richard

28^th September

Rob Cotton and Trevor Figgitt powered to a convincing win in the East Anglian CC Tandem "10". The pair recorded a 21:48 for their first time together on the tandem, on a new course which included the obstacle of Stockton Hill. Second were Wolsey pair Pete Whelan and Jo Newstead in 22:59. 

In the accompanying event for solos Becky Figgitt recorded her second fastest ever "10" with 28:40.

Event Dates for 2003
Open "10", 2 up "10" and Tandem "10" March 22nd on B10/9.
Open "25" and Tandem "25". May 17th on B25/2.
Open "10", Tandem "10" and GHS "10" June 28th on B10/9.
Grass Track Woodbridge Provisional Date of Saturday Aug 2nd.

Club events start Thursday April 24th till August 21st.

3rd Cat!!!!!!!!

Trevor has just been upgraded to a 3rd cat, finishing equal 371^st with 8 points.  That was as a result of the only two BC events he has ridden this year West Suffolk Grass Track and Mildenhall Grass Track.

According to the BC Rankings for 2002 Becky Figgitt finished 3rd overall in the Youth B Female rankings with 27 points.

Turbo Training

Richard Tateson has a turbotrainer going free to a good home.  Passed on by Steve Jones 2 years ago, so it's now a Plomesgate heirloom.  Very basic, very noisy.  Warms you up in the winter just like the fancy ones though!

MTB in the dark

Tuesday night night rides in the dark but with lights.  Meet at Sizewell T 8pm for a ride of about an hour - all welcome.  Good lights an advantage, but not essential.  There may be rides from Tunstall or Bromeswell - contact Mark or Viv if you are interested.

 

Chalky exiting the bomb hole at Thetford during the recent club run.

Foxhall Update.

Through the summer, the numbers at these events have been less than I'd hoped for.  Part of this has been down to the weather, as more than once, we've had a week of sunshine, only for it to rain on a Friday afternoon!

Despite this, there have been a couple of good nights and those people who've come along have seemed to enjoy it.

July.  Pretty much a dead loss, between the weather and other events happening at Foxhall.  Gary Holden, Steve, Trevor and Becky all had a go - unfortunately not all on the same night.

2nd August

Wolsey RC were represented by the Newstead family - Colin, Jo, Kerrick (under-16) and Alwyn (under-12) - while Kirsty showed up for IBC and Steve flew the flag for us.  First up was a one lap timetrial - with Steve just pipping Colin and Kerrick, while Jo finished 2 seconds ahead of Kirsty.  This led on to a couple of handicap races, with start positions determined by performance in the timetrial.  Steve's estimated handicaps proved pretty good - in the first race, he, Colin, Kirsty and Alwyn came out of the last corner side by side, with Kerrick just behind, and finished in that order, with only about 2 bike lengths covering the whole field.

For the second handicap race, Colin handed over his bike to Jo, who proceeded to win the event, from Kirsty, Steve and Kerrick, in another close finish.  There was just time for a couple of "devil take the hindmost" races. In the first, Jo laid down a challenge to Colin, with the loser of the two making breakfast in bed for the winner the next morning! Kirsty was first out, then Steve gave way for the battling spouses and on the line Colin won by about a bike length.  However, the two raced round again, and this time Jo was the victor, by about a tyre's width!  Kirsty and Colin both decided to call it a day before the second devil, which finished with Steve out-powering Kerrick, after Jo and Alwyn had been knocked out.

Thanks to Commissaire Cotton for his whistle and stopwatch performance.

16th August.

Cotton-the-Comm was out again and was joined in the spectator area by Alan Watts and Clive Tricker (both IBC) to witness the best turnout of the season.  Steve, Trevor, Jim and Gary Ingram (under-10) for Plomesgate faced up against Paul Watts (under-16) and brother Mark, and the two Davids, Phasey and Warwick, for Ipswich BC, for the same series of events as last time - timetrial, 2 handicap races and 2 devils.  In the timetrial, it was very close with David W (34.6sec) pipping Trevor and Steve (both 34.8s) ahead of Paul (36.0), David P (36.3), Mark (38.7), Jim (41.0) and Gary (61.3).  The handicap races were dominated by one rider - young Gary Ingram took both races comfortably.  "He had time to make a cup of tea" was Clive's comment on the winning margin as, both times, Gary crossed the line for the victory before the bunch even appeared on the finishing straight! After his first easy victory, his handicap was reduced for the second race, but this didn't stop Gary showing everyone else a clean pair of heels once again.

In the first "devil", there was a lot of confusion as to who had been eliminated and who had just dropped out, and after a while, Steve tried to ride away off the front.  This split the field, but he couldn't shake Trevor off, and in the final sprint between them, Trevor's experience showed. Steve looked back one side, Trevor attacked on the other and by the time Steve responded, it was too late.

In the second race, David W took the honours after an excellent shoulder-to-shoulder sprint for second place, with Steve getting over the line just ahead of Jim. David had attacked early on and earned himself a gap which was almost the length of the straight.  Steve led the bunch at a steady pace, slowing clawing back David's advantage, before the close sprint with Jim, but he'd left himself just too much to make up on the last lap.

There were a couple more quiet sessions before the lack of light forced the end of things for this year.  I hope to run them again next year, but that is dependant on a number of factors.  However, there is a pair of competition rollers up at the stadium, currently in storage - watch this space...

Steve.

Plomesgate on the Tourmalet

Mark and Viv had a week in the Pyrenees on an organized mountain bike tour.  This was mostly off-road, but included a few of the famous climbs, including the Peyresourde and the Tourmalet.  They both agreed it was the best mountain biking holiday ever, and would like to return for more off-road and also with the road bikes.  Does anyone fancy a trip to the Pyrenees to do some high mountain passes - some Spring training maybe???

Dates For The Calendar

13^th October - Plomesgate club run, Framlingham
20^th October CTC off road ride, Bromeswell
20^th October ERMA winter series MTB race, Mayday meadow, Thetford.

For Sale

THESE BIKES CAN BE VIEWED IN ORFORD (woodbridge) with a bit of notice

Litespeed "Eddy Merkx" titanium set up as TT bike with Mavic Helium Tubs, Tommy Rommiger Aero bars, 53cm frame.  Complete bike in excellent working order £490 ono tel 01869 277369

Raleigh Special Products Titanium frame with aero section down tube and ovalised top tube.  The most laterally stiff frame tested in recent trials.  http://technology.open.ac.uk/materials/ bikeframes/bikeframe.html Dura-Ace 8 speed throughout with Time carbon aero section forks and Mavic Cosmos wheels.  Anatomic ITM bars, Continental GP3000 clinchers 54cm frame in mint condition. Running gear in excellent working order.  This is a "bullet proof" road bike  £590 Call Andy Greasley on 01869 277369

Newsletter contributions

Send us any news of events, results etc so that they can be included in the newsletter.

Our e-mail address is broughton.m@btopenworld.com